Letter to the Editor: Two near misses within 5 minutes at C/13th

From the vantage of my office window I have a clear view of the intersection of C Avenue and 13th Street. This is a very difficult intersection as 13th Street does not line up on either side of C Avenue, and it must be one of the busiest intersections in the city, especially just before school starts and after it ends each day.

There have been several accidents near this intersection and on B Avenue when the high school was at the end of that street. This morning I saw two different incidents in which school children riding bicycles were nearly hit by cars. In both instances a child crossed C Avenue from the west to the east on the south side of the intersection as a car at the same time made a left turn from 13th Street to go south on C Avenue.

I believe that in both instances the children on bicycles were not riding in the lanes of traffic and therefore had no apparent right-of- way. In both instances there was a flurry of traffic, everyone seeming to be in a hurry and vying to get through the intersection. In both instances it appeared that the children waited for a break in the traffic and when the slightest opportunity came they took it. The car drivers were waiting for the same break in the traffic.

I saw a dog get hit by a car near this intersection this last spring. That was bad enough. I don’t want to be the one to have to call 911 when a child gets hit. I urge parents to talk to their children about safety in crossing streets on bicycles and on foot. I encourage them to plan with their children routes that take them to designated crosswalks when they can and to use a less complicated intersection than this one to cross C Avenue. And I urge drivers to be cautious, watchful, and courteous especially in those busy times before and after school.

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RH August 24, 2012, 1:02 pm I\'ve always felt the 13th & C intersection needed traffic control lights far more than downtown 4th St., which IMHO would be far better served by full-time 4-way flashing reds.

K` August 24, 2012, 1:35 pm Perhaps a crossing guard is called for there--or at least a stop sign similar to those at the grade school on 13th.

TS August 24, 2012, 3:04 pm I agree.. this is a bad intersection in general let alone during the school year. Once upon a LONG time ago it seems that there was a Crossing Guard appointed to this corner??? Maybe this needs to be reinstated or if there wasn\'t one there, then it\'s probably time for there to be one! Who\'s in charge of the school crossing guards? Police Department or the School District?

JZ August 24, 2012, 3:08 pm Maybe we need a traffic light?

AV August 24, 2012, 10:40 pm There are loads of little ones crossing C Avenue at many places, and Pastor Urlaub\'s concerns can be applied to those areas also. Where I lived in Austria had a similar problem, and they solved it by having a short, clean, and well-lit pedestrian tunnel under the highway for the school kids to use. Maybe there\'s a site in that area where something similar could at least be looked at, so traffic flow isn\'t affected and pedestrians have a safer route.

Wasn\'t there a group in town a few years back looking into this sort of thing?

MU August 25, 2012, 12:10 pm In my opinion, the thing that can be done immediately is that parents teach their children to use a different intersection to cross C Avenue. 12th Street, for instance, is straight and does not have the cross traffic.

JT August 25, 2012, 5:32 pm The designated school route crossing point on C Avenue in that immediate area is the crosswalk just south of 15th street, which also has a roll-out stop sign before and after school, and a school staff member acting as a crossing guard, and has a walkway directly to the front of the middle school bus area. From there students can cross safely and while supervised, and can catch the shuttles that run between all of the schools if they wish too. 13th street has never been designated as a crosswalk due to the safety issues with this offset intersection.

JW August 25, 2012, 9:03 pm Every time I\'m home, Mom comments on how cars do not watch out for school children crossing the street. I witness this too when home. Turning indicators, they are attached to the cars for a reason as well. Both 13th and 8th St are dangerous intersections for cars, bikes and walkers. Now add cell phone, texting and the hurried life everyone is living. All the mentioned ideas should be reviewed. Consider lowering the speed limit around those intersections during certain hours. Seems to help in my neighborhood. Parents and students all could benefit from some more education on this matter.

MR August 27, 2012, 5:23 pm I concur with Pastor Urlaub\'s comments and would like to add my own. I\'ve ridden motorcycles all over this country, from ocean to ocean and almost all 50 states, but the most dangerous place I\'ve found to ride a bike is my own home town. I\'ve nearly been killed by motorists on two separate occasions this summer who never bothered to look in my direction at a stop sign and pulled directly in front of me. Each time I narrowly missed them. Slow down folks! If it makes you feel bad having to read this too bad. Imagine how bad you\'d feel if you killed me or one of those kids.

MS August 28, 2012, 9:48 am Pedestrians, Bikes, Motorcycles, Cars and everything in between - C and 13th has been a very dangerous intersection ever since I was a kid - I cannot think off hand of a suggestion that would help the problem - but too often the logistics of the intersection are a mere fraction of the problem - the greater of that is usually operator error...unfortunately ... and I really don\'t know how you fix that.....

CA August 29, 2012, 2:52 pm The ideal way to pass is at 16t St. and C Ave, where the roll out stop sign is in place. However, if kids are riding their bikes to Tilford, for example, there is no sidewalk once they cross the street. Perhaps it would encourage a school route if there was a sidewalk that connected that intersection north to 15th St.

CZ August 31, 2012, 10:15 am My home town has a red line painted on the side of the street that is designated as a route to the school. This is helpful to children and drivers.

Opinion : Letter to the Editor: Two near misses within 5 minutes at C/13th

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